ETHIOPIA

Location & Size:

Ethiopia is located in the North Eastern part of the African continent or what is known as the

“Horn of Africa.” Ethiopia is bounded by Sudan on the west, Eritrea and Djibouti on the northeast,

Somalia on the east and southeast, and Kenya on the south. Ethiopia lies between the Equator and

Tropic of Cancer, between the 30 N and 150N Latitude or 330 E and 480 E Longitude. The country occupies

an area of approximately 1,127,127 square km., which is slightly less than twice the size of Texas. The

total land area is 1,119,683 square km and the area occupied by water bodies is 7,444 sq. km. The

Ethiopian border is 5,311 km long.

Geography:

Ethiopia is a country rich in geographical diversity. It consists of rugged mountains, flat-topped

plateaus, deep gorges and river valleys. It is erosion, volcanic eruptions and tectonic movements over

the ages that have contributed to the nations diverse topography. The highest altitude is at Ras Dashen

(4,620 m above sea level) and the lowest altitude is at Kobar Sink (120 m below sea level). A large

percentage of the country consists of high plateaus and mountain ranges, dissected by major rivers such

as Blue Nile, Tekeze, Awash, Omo, and Wabi Shebelle etc… All in all, Ethiopia consists of nine major

rivers and 19 lakes. The Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile, rises in Lake Tana in northwest

Ethiopia.

The Great Rift Valley extends across the Ethiopian plateau, which is divided into

two by a series of north-south tending escarpments. The escarpments are very steep

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towards the rift valley on either side. In general, the western high lands have high rims

in their western edges, but low lying plateaus and plains to the east and south.

Climate:

Ethiopia has four major seasons: Summer ‘Kiremet’ (June – August); Autumn

‘Tibe’ (September – November); Winter ‘Bega’ (December – February) and Spring ‘Belg’

(March – May). However, the coldest month is not always in ‘Bega’ and the hottest

month is not always in ‘Kiremet’. Ethiopia lies near the equator where maximum heat

from the sun is received. The length of days and nights are almost the same in most

regions. The average seasonal temperatures are:

Summer Low of 100 C High of 390 C

Autumn Low of 120 C High of 350 C

Winter Low of 100 C High of 310 C

Spring Low of 13.30 C High of 320 C

The rainfall decreases from the southwest to the northeast. The rainfall is largely concentrated

during the summer months of June, July and August.

In general, the climate is moderate, except in the lowlands of the Danakil Desert and the

Ogaden, which are hot all the year. The highlands are temperate with night frost in the mountains. A

single rainy season in the west brings twice as much rain as the wet seasons in the east.

History:

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 Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Sub Saharan Africa. The earliest evidence of

Ethiopian history is around 1000 BC, when the queen of Sheba visited King Soloman. Ras Kassa had

himself crowned as the emperor at Axum under a different name ‘Tewodros’. This happened in 1855

when he constructed an army to reunite the provinces of Tigre, Amhara and Shoa. He later shot himself

in 1867 because the British blockaded his fortress. The ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its

freedom from the colonial rule. One exception to this rule is the Italian occupation between 1936 and

1941. In 1974 a military junta, the Derg and deposed Emperor Haile Selassie established a socialist state.

Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought and massive refugee problems, the regime was

toppled by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), in

1991. A constitution was adopted in 1994 and Ethiopia’s first multi-party elections were held in 1995. A

2.5-year border war with Eritrea that ended with a peace treaty on December 12th 2000 has

strengthened the coalition, but hurt the counties economy to a considerable extent.

Calendar & Important Dates:

Have you ever wondered why Ethiopian tourist promotion slogan reads “13 months of

Sunshine?” well that’s because the Ethiopian calendar has 13 months a year, with 30 days each month

except the 13th known as ‘the Pagumen’ which means ‘additional’ in Greek. As of this year, 2002, the

Ethiopian calendar is eight years behind and indicates it is 1994. Ethiopia still retains the Julian calendar,

named after Julius Caesar. The Ethiopian calendar is eight months behind the Gregorian calendar, while

Ethiopian Easter coincides with Gregorian Easter once every four years.

Ethiopian Month Gregorian Calendar

Meskerem (New Year) 11 Sept – 10 Oct

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Tikimt 11 Oct – 9 Nov

Hidar 10 Nov – 9 Dec

Tahsas 10 Dec – 8 Jan

Tir 9 Jan – 7 Feb

Yekatit 8 Feb - 9 Mar

Megabit 10 Mar – 8 Apr

Miyazya 9 Apr – 8 May

Ginbot 9 May – 7 Jun

Sene 8 Jun – 7 Jul

Hamle 8 Jul – 6 Aug

Nehase 7 Aug – 6 Sept

Pagume (5-6) days 6 Sept – 10 Sept

The important days & public holidays in Ethiopia are:

7 January Ethiopian Christmas

19 January Ethiopian Epiphany (Timket)

2 March Victory of Adwa Day

6 April Patriots Victory Day

12 April Ethiopian Good Friday

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14 April Ethiopian Easter

1 May International Labor Day

28 May Downfall of the Dergue

11 September Ethiopian New Year

27 September Meskal

Population & People:

The total population of Ethiopia is approximately 65,891,874 people according to a 1998 census.

The age structure is 47% under 14 years, 50.03% between 15 years and 64 years, 2.79% over 65 years.

The population growth rate is 2.7% (2001 estimate), the birth rate is 44.68 births per 1,000 people (2001

estimate), death rate is 17.84 deaths per 1,000 people (2001 estimate) and the migration rate is 0.13

migrants per 1,000 people (2001 estimate). The life expectancy at birth for the total population is 44.68

years while for males it is 43.88 years and females is 45.51 years.

There are 76 nationalities in Ethiopia. The break up for the ethnic groups are: Oromo 40%,

Amhara & Tigre 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%, Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurage 2% and others 1%.

Currency:

The official currency of Ethiopia is the Ethiopian Birr (Birr = 100 Cents). The notes are in

denominations of Birr 100, 50, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of 50, 25, 10 and 5 cents. The

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 import of local currency is limited to Birr 100 and the export of local currency up to Birr 100 is

permitted provided the traveler holds a re-entry permit. The import and export of foreign currency

is unlimited, subject to declaration on arrival. As of March 13, 2002:

U.S. $ 1 = 8.36 Ethiopian Birr or

1 Ethiopian Birr = U.S. $ 0.12

Education:

The definition of literacy in this context is ages 15 and over can read and write. The literacy of

the total population is 35.5%. Male literacy being 45.5%, and female literacy being 25.3%. The primary

education consists of six years and the primary enrollment ratio is 43%. The male youth illiteracy is 47%.

On an average, there are 43 students per teacher in a class.

Education in Ethiopia was oriented towards religious learning until after World War II, when the

government began to emphasize secular learning as a means to achieve social mobility and national

development. The education system today suffers from inadequate financing. Education was severely

disrupted during the civil war. Secondary education is in English and Amharic. Addis Ababa University

has been a center of political activity, usually anti-EPRDF, and is subjected to periodic closure and the

sacking of leading academics. The Addis Ababa University has an enrollment of around 15,347 people.

Language:

Although Amharic is considered the official language of Ethiopia, there are an

astonishing 83 languages spoken in the country with 200 dialects. However the major

languages are Amheric, Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, English

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(major foreign language taught in school). Amheric is spoken by approximately 31% of

the countries population.

Religion:

Ethiopia is a platform for many different religions, beliefs and practices from time in memorial.

The major religion in Ethiopia is Christianity. The other major religions present in Ethiopia are Islam and

Judaism. These persuasions exist together and contemporaneously without causing any noticeable

shock in the social, cultural and political life of the country. The break of the religions are as follows:

Muslim 45% Ethiopian Orthodox 40%, Animist 12%, Others 3% - 8%.

Agriculture:

Agriculture accounts to over 40% of the GDP, 80% of the exports and 80% of the labor force.

Agriculture remained in 1991 the economy’s most important sector. Ethiopia has great agricultural

potential because of its vast area of fertile land, diverse climate, generally adequate rainfall and large

labor pool. Despite its advantages, Ethiopian agriculture remains underdeveloped and outdated. A

major cause for the underdevelopment is the drought, which persistently affected the country since the

early 1970’s. The country also has a poor economic base (low productivity, weak infrastructure, and low

level of technology). According to the World Bank, between 1980 and 1987, agricultural production

dropped at an annual rate of 2.1 percent, while the population grew at an annual rate of 2.4 percent.

Consequently, the country faced a tragic famine that resulted in the death of nearly one million people

from 1984 to 1986.

Land use in Ethiopia consists of 12% arable land, 1% permanent crops, 40% permanent pastures,

25% forests and woodlands and 22 % others according to a 1993 census. The fertilizer consumption was

159 grams per ha of arable land (1998). The major cash crops are coffee and tea and the major food

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crops are maize, wheat, barley, sorghum, millet, teff and potat. In 1999, the agricultural GDP was 52%.

The cereal yield was 1,141 Kgs. In 2000.

Economy& Trade:

On the scorecard, Ethiopia’s world GNP ranking is 99 and the GNP per capita is $110. Ethiopia

has an inflation rate of approximately 3.7%. Since the end of the civil war, Ethiopia is one of the world’s

poorest counties. Ethiopia has begun moving toward a market economy by encouraging foreign

investment and reforming land tenure. Economic decline was reversed in 1993 as the agricultural and

industrial output grew. The latter was fueled by the purchase of parts and raw materials funded by

foreign aid.

The major export items are coffee, animal skins and hides, chat, flowers, pulses, and vegetables.

Most of Ethiopia’s exports are to Germany, USA, Japan, Italy and France and most of their imports come

from UK, Germany, Japan, USA and Italy. In 1998, the GDP was $32.9 billion, export $550 million and

import $1.3 billion.

The major weakness of the Ethiopian economy is the dependence on agriculture, periodic

serious droughts, and a war-damaged infrastructure.

Food:

Ethiopian food is like the Ethiopians themselves: spicy, subtle, piquant and most of all

unforgettable. A formal Ethiopian meal begins with the washing of hands. An Ethiopian meal might lead

you to think you were already in heaven. Beef cooked, raw, cubed, ground and marinated in a fiery red

pepper sauce with more flavors blended in than the most sophisticated foreign palate can identify.

However ‘Doro Wot’ (Chicken in sauce) is probably the most widely known Ethiopian dish of all. A festive

meal without a richly flavored doro wot, hard-boiled eggs is practically a contradiction in terms. Most

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Ethiopian food is served over ‘Injera’ (slightly sour pancake). Other popular Ethiopian dishes are Shiro

Wet, Enset Kitta, Kitfo and so on…

Landmarks:

The Menelik Mausoleum: Built in 1911 in the old Baata church it serves as a tomb for emperors,

princess and martyrs of freedom.

St. Geroge’s Cathedral: Built in 1896 in the traditional octagonal shape by emperor Menelik II to

commemorate his victory at Adwa.

The National Museum: Houses numerous antiquarian relics and archaeological artifacts.

Trinity Cathedral: Built in 1941 to a European design in commemoration of Ethiopia’s liberation

from Italian Occupation.

Jubilee Palace: It is a modern palace to commemorate the silver jubilee of the coronation of

Emperor Haile Selassie I.

Alagappan Annamalai

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